FULL CIRCLE – Bobby McCarty Moves To R&S Race Cars In 2023

What’s in a number? Well, quite a lot actually. Numbers are the tools we use to measure things to get the concept of the full scope of a matter. At the heart of it though, they are symbols. They have no inherent meaning by themselves but at the same time, they represent everything. They are the tools that bring us to understanding. No great feat can be measured or understood without them. That being said and understood, it’s only natural that when athletes pick a number to represent them, they do it with great care if they are able, knowing it becomes part of their personal brand. For a driver, it’s what you see of them when they perform. It’s their identification if you will, placed for all to see on their car so they can be identified on the track. And for many new fans, it’s how they come to recognize their favorite drivers.

So, when Bobby McCarty announced he was leaving Nelson Motorsports to drive the house car for R&S Race Cars, one of the things that caught our eye was the number he chose to run. As Bobby McCarty begins the third stage of his already significant career, he chose a number that represents where he started. And in many ways, it symbolizes the reality of the situation. You see, Bobby McCarty has come full circle, as he announced his number at R&S will be the number 6. The same number he started his stock car career with after already being a multi-time Kart Champion, running Allison Legacy Series machines in 2009, and earning Rookie Of The Year honors in the process. It’s also the number that was on his car in 2012 when he became the South Boston Limited Sportsman Champion, hinting at the success he would have in the next stage of his career with Nelson Motorsports.

In 2017, Bobby McCarty entered the second stage of his career driving for Nelson Motorsports in remarkable fashion, winning the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway, the second leg of the Virginia Triple Crown, represented by the team number 22. Fitting as the symbolism of the number 22 represents a period of great prosperity and growth. And now a veteran of stock car racing, he entered a period of just that as his numbers driving for the iconic team were nothing short of spectacular. 2 back to back CARS Tour Championships in 2018 and 2019, crowned with his third just 2 years later, highlighted by 10 wins on a tour that is as hard to win on as any in the country. He also netted a Thanksgiving Classic win at Southern national Motorsports Park in 2019, and netted 2 Rodney Cook Classic victories at Ace Speedway in 2020 and 2021, leaving Bobby McCarty with racing stats that any stock car driver could tout as an outstanding career.

But Bobby McCarty isn’t done yet. Not by a long shot. He leaves Nelson Motorsports as the only 3 time Champion of the Series to drive the House Car for R&S, the manufacturer that supplied the chassis for Nelson Motorsports, and many other winning Late Model teams. And he does so as now the seasoned veteran with 1 Xfinity Series start under his belt for JD Motorsports, ironically in the number 6 machine. The same number he will enter the final stage of his career, starting it off in the number 6 R&S machine. Yes, very significant, as McCarty starts the stage off as a seasoned veteran, sporting the number he started his career with, the number 6. The number that symbolizes completeness and high ideals. The number that Pythagoreans, the people who study the works of the father of mathematics, have come to know as the first perfect number. And he comes into this stage of his career with the same hope and enthusiasm he had from the beginning. One could also say with a bit of certainty that the future is bright, but so is the career of the Late Model ace as he moves to cement his legacy in the sport. Yes indeed, Bobby McCarty has come full circle, and one can only imagine where he goes from here.